WingedKatt here. Since I don't have internet at the house right now, you get this chapter a little early! Yay! Enjoy!
Nick untangled a string of blue Christmas lights and then wrapped them around the top railing of the back porch. He'd already strung a strand of white lights from each corner of the porch to the light fixture at the center of the ceiling. After dinner, he'd bring Judy down here for a night of dancing. Of course, with her injured leg, he would have to support her weight. With a wide grin and heated gaze, he couldn't keep from thinking about how his paw would feel on her rump or how he could tease her puffball tail with his claws. Thinking about her twitching tail in his paw had his own tail wagging in anticipation.
After talking to Bonnie earlier, he figured dinner and a movie up on the deck would be something Judy would like. He already had the table and projector set up so they could watch the movie on the back wall of the house. Honey had really enjoyed entertaining guests and so they'd spent many evenings watching movies up there when she was still alive and in good health.
Nick paused in thought, the lights in his paws forgotten as he remembered all the fun they'd had back then. It had been so many years since he'd even thought about it, or considered entertaining guests himself, and he realized it was about time he started again. He knew Judy didn't know a lot of mammals here in Zootopia, so this would be a good way to introduce her to their neighbors and the other friends he had (and give him a chance to reconnect with them, like Willie). And if he introduced her to a lot of his predator friends, maybe they could help paint her in a better light after that disastrous press conference 3 months ago. He was a bit shocked none of the predators they'd passed at the train station had recognized her as the bunny cop who had ruined a lot of their lives with her specist, unfounded, and incriminating remarks.
He was also glad she would be holed up at the house for the next week and half while she recovered before their road trip. Hopefully, by the time they returned, a lot of the bad feelings predators had about her would have softened, if not disappeared.
As he began stringing the lights again, he wondered when Bogo would come out with the knowledge that Judy was the one who found the cause of the savage attacks and the mastermind behind it. Weren't they going to have another press conference with Judy? A part of him hoped they wouldn't, but the more logical side of his mind knew it would help heal the city if she did—provided they actually set her down first and went over how to talk to the press: What to say. What not to say. How to answer a question without giving away vital information about the case or giving opinions and conjectures as if they were facts.
With a heavy sigh, Nick shook his head and returned to the task at paw. He had a date to finish setting up and didn't have time or energy to waste on 'what ifs' about the future. There would be plenty of time tomorrow to worry about the future. With renewed focus, Nick set about finishing the lights as quickly as possible. He still needed to set up a music list for tonight and he hoped to record some of the songs himself so he could sing to Judy while they danced.
….….
As Janette disconnected the call to Judy, she sat in silence for a moment. Janelle, of course, was super excited about meeting Nick on Sunday and didn't even question his relationship with their sister, but Janette still had a few misgivings. Judy had never been in a relationship before and, apparently, neither had Nick. Weren't they rushing things in their relationship? How could either be sure that the relationship would last? She knew her sister well enough to know Judy wouldn't recover if Nick walked out on her. But then again, who's to say Judy won't be the one to walk out on Nick?
Janette knew her sister was sincere in her feelings, but was her headstrong sister perhaps mistaking the heat of the moment for love? How could anyone be so sure of their feelings, or their partner's, after such a short time knowing them?
Justin stood up, but upon seeing Janette's conflicted emotions, he reached over and ruffled her ears, saying, "Don't worry, Nette, Judy won't change her mind about Nick anymore than she did about becoming a cop. And I wouldn't worry about him, either. Nick won't leave Judy—it's already too late for him."
Janette raised an eyebrow. "How can you be so sure about Nick. He's a red fox, not a rabbit."
Justin grinned. "Because he's a red fox."
Janette tilted her head in confusion, but it was Janelle who spoke up. "What do you mean?" Now that her sister was dating a fox, she found herself highly interested in them and wanted to learn all she could about them. The real truth about them—not the misconceptions and lies she'd been taught her whole life.
Grinning wider, he answered, "Because I've gotten to be good friends with Gideon." Folding his arms across his chest with his ears perked forward, Justin wore a 'I know something you don't know' kind of look. "A pretty vixen came into the shop a few weeks ago, and since Gideon is a year older than we are, I asked him why he was still single. Being such a great baker, I figured he could have his pick of vixens wanting to date him for his culinary arts."
"So, what did he say?" Janette asked, even as Janelle was leaning around her on the bed, ears focused forward, as she waited to hear their brother's answer.
"Gideon shrugged his shoulders and said he hadn't met a vixen yet that he could see himself marrying, so there wasn't a point to dating one." While shrugging himself, Justin continued, "It didn't make a lot of sense to me at the time. I mean, isn't that what dating is all about? Figuring out if you like the mammal well-enough to think about marriage. But if red foxes mate for life, as Nick said, then Gideon's mindset makes more sense." Raising a paw with his pointer finger pointed up, he explained, "Which tells me that if Nick has already asked Judy to date him, and he's willing to crawl in bed with her, then marriage is the only thing on his mind when it comes to our sister." With a smirk, he added, "Especially since Gideon hasn't ever kissed anyone, either."
Both Janelle and Janette couldn't believe what Justin just said, and their jaws dropped in response. Snapping her jaw shut, Janelle exclaimed, "Gideon hasn't kissed anyone either! No way! I was sure he would have stolen his first kiss in high school."
Justin shook his head. "Nope. I know for a fact he didn't kiss anyone in high school since he got teased about it."
"He got teased?" Janette asked. Back in high school she tried to avoid Gideon. He was still a bully in high school, and after the scars he'd given Judy, Janette kept clear of him.
Justin nodded. "He bullied the younger kits, but he was bullied pretty bad by those older than him—at least until he grew big enough to give back what he got." With a shake of his head, he continued, "Anyways, some bobcat tried to steal a kiss from him after school one day, as some kind of dare, I think. Anyways, Gideon flipped out, going on about how he couldn't kiss a girl he didn't like." With another shrug, Justin continued, "I didn't witness it, but I did overhear several bucks discussing it and how they planned on bullying Gideon about it."
"That's awful!" Janelle exclaimed as her ears drooped down her back. "No wonder he was so mean to us. I never stopped to think that maybe he was just treating us younger kits the same way the older kits were treating him."
Justin nodded, but then Janette asked, "Okay, so he never kissed anyone in high school, what makes you think he's never kissed anyone since. High school was a long time ago."
Justin nodded and waved his paw through as he said, "Because I asked him."
"You did?" Janelle asked, intrigued.
"Yep. After the vixen left the bakery and I asked Gideon about his dating experience, I remembered what happened in high school and was curious about what had happened since then."
"So, what did he say?" Janelle asked. She was suddenly curious about the rotund red todd who so terrorized them all as kits.
"He just chuckled for a moment then said,"—standing up a bit taller, Justin did his best Gideon impersonation—"Ah, shucks, Just'n, I, I, I couldn't kiss a girl I, I didn't like. You . . . you bunnies like to get all pawsy with each other, but that just ain't how we, we red foxes do things. We, we like to take things real slow ta make sure we, we got the right one. So I, I, I, could never kiss a girl if'n I, I hadn't thought of marrying her first."
Janette was stunned while Janelle sat with a wide, starry look in her eyes. "He really say that?" she asked while thinking of how his story corroborated with what Judy had said about Nick. At Justin's nod, Janelle elaborated, "So, if two todds from two different places are thinking the same way, then that must be the truth and red foxes really do mate for life."
"Exactly!" Justin agreed. "So, I wouldn't worry about Judy when it comes to her foxy boyfriend. She really did strike gold when she found Nick."
While Janelle thought about how romantic Nick and Judy's relationship was (and trying to think of all the single todds she'd come across in Bunnyburrow), Janette sighed heavily. Trying to get her head wrapped around the idea that her cop-crazy sister was now in a romantic relationship with a fox was going to take some getting used to. At least she'd have a few days to get used to the idea before she had to meet him. Maybe she should do some research on red fox culture and get the facts straight so she could better understand her (soon to be) brother-in-law. What were fox weddings like? And would they choose a fox wedding or a long, drawn out bunny wedding?
Seeing how both his sisters were lost in thought, Justin decided it was time to leave. He still had things to do today. As he reached the bedroom door, he froze while remembering why he came down here to begin with. Spinning around, he said, "Janette, I forgot to tell you, but Amy and Wendy were wondering if you could help them pick out outfits for the festival coming up in a few weeks." Glancing over to Janelle, he added, "They were hoping you'd help, too, Janelle."
Beaming, Janelle stated, "So, they finally signed up for the Annual Mud Day Festival and Classic Car Show. They've been so busy lately, I was beginning to fear they'd miss the deadline for entering any of the contests. I hope they win something this year."
"I'm sure they will, and you know they'd never miss signing up for the mud wrestling contest. Since they both have a lot of talent and enthusiasm, they should bring home at least one medal each. They always enter just about every contest they can." Hopping off the bed, the two does followed their brother out the room while discussing the upcoming festival and which contests their sisters were most likely to win.
….….
After terminating the call with her siblings, Judy recalled the conversation she just had and wondered if Janelle might not hook up with a nice fox there in Bunnyburrow. With a giddy laugh, she leaned back against her pillows as she thought about her own foxy boyfriend.
As her mind replayed what had just transpired between her and Nick, that warm, hazy feeling began to flow through her body again—until the full weight of what happened and what nearly happened hit her like a ton of bricks. With a groan, she slunk down into the pillows she rested against and pulled her bright-red ears over face. "What did I do!? What did I just do!? I can't believe I did that to Nick. He's my best friend and I . . . I . . . violated his trust! I knew he wasn't ready for this. Why else was he stalling so bad?"
With another groan as she tugged on her ears, Judy continued her self-reprimand, muttering, "He wasn't ready for this and I still pushed him. Oh, I pushed him. I wouldn't take no for an answer. And I . . . I . . ." Judy remembered with crystal clarity what she had done to Nick, both to push past his self-control there at the beginning and again, what she did at the end to keep him there with her. Slumping side-ways in the bed, she moaned, "I'm the worst girlfriend ever. I not only violated his trust, but I violated him." She couldn't forget how she'd grabbed his cock and ran her paw up and down his hard, throbbing length. Curling into a ball (and ignoring the sharp pain in her leg), she added, "I'm no different than all those horrible vixens who harassed him when he was working for Big."
Burying her face in the pillow she'd pulled down with her when she slumped over, she mumbled, "Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. You're going to scare Nick away and then you really will be alone." With one last whine, she asked herself, "Why did you have to grab his cock?" Lifting her head, she brought her paw up and flexed her fingers while remembering how good it felt to feel his shaft in her paw and wishing there hadn't been any clothes in the way. "Stop it. Stop thinking of Nick like that. I'll be lucky enough if Nick doesn't run from me once his hormones calm down and his brain isn't drugged with my scent anymore."
Rolling over, she rested her paws on her stomach as she remembered Nick's touch, the way he set her skin on fire as he dragged his claws through her fur, and how his teeth and tongue had her whole body tingling with pleasure and desire, the likes of which she had never experienced before.
With a deep breath, she tried to calm her hectic mind and felt somewhat grateful now for Janette's interruptions—but only somewhat. Taking another deep breath, she wondered once again what had Nick running out on her in such a panicked rush. It had to be something big in order to distract him from her, something special he was planning—which set her curiosity abuzz. What was her fox up to?
….….
Having finished with the lights, Nick looked at the clock and figured he had enough time to record a few songs before meeting Fru-Fru's courier at the front door. Making his way through the dining room and kitchen, he entered the exercise/music room and shut the door. He didn't want Judy's sensitive ears picking up on what he was doing. After setting an alarm on his phone, he slipped it into his pocket and turned on his music synthesizer and keyboard and set them to record. Sitting down at the chair and putting on his headphones, he thought through the list of songs he wanted to play for Judy and then set his fingers to the keys. He recorded several songs with the piano function, then plugged his guitar in and recorded the same songs with it. Before he could set about combining the piano and guitar versions, his phone alarm went off. He'd been so absorbed in the music that having the phone suddenly vibrating in his pocket startled him and he nearly dropped his guitar.
Quickly setting it on its stand, Nick pulled his earphones off and stood up. Turning the alarm off as he made his way down the hall, he slipped out the front door and sat on the bench while waiting for the courier to arrive. It was only a few minutes before a white limo drove up (this one sized for small mammals), and out stepped a snowshoe hair in his brown summer-coat and wearing a black tuxedo. Nick hopped down from the porch and met him just outside the limo's door.
The hare looked him over with steel-blue eyes and said, "I'm looking for Nick Wilde."
"That's me," Nick replied. He thought he knew all of Big's goons, but he didn't recognize this one, so he was either a new hire (new in the last 5 years) or he worked specifically for the clothing store.
The brown hare looked Nick over again and said, "Here." Stepping aside, two more snowshoe hares stepped out, both females, with each of them carrying three dresses each, which were covered in clear plastic to protect them. Draping them across Nick's arms, the does turned and hopped back into the limo with hardly a glance at him.
Nick looked over the dresses a minute in shock, then exclaimed, "Fru-Fru sent over six dresses!"
The snowshoe hare narrowed his eyes slightly as he said, "Did mistress Fru-Fru get the order wrong?"
"No, no, not at all. Tell Fru-Fru she'll have the pictures tomorrow. Thank you."
The hare nodded, then reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small, flat, glossy-black plastic zippered case and set it atop the dresses, saying, "Mistress Fru-Fru also sent this along." At Nick's surprised curiosity, the hare merely nodded and climbed back into the limo, which then pulled out of the driveway and sped off down the street.
Nick hardly saw them leave as his attention immediately turned to the dresses once the hare had climbed into the car. Nick tried to get a better look at the dresses, but knew he'd have to get them up to his room to see them clearly as they were stacked six dresses deep. With a huge grin, he ran around to the side of the house and hurried up the stairs to his balcony. Slipping into his bedroom, he heard Judy in the shower. That worked, as it would give him time to shower afterwards. Laying the dresses out on his bed, he flicked the lights on, then picked each dress up one at a time. They were gorgeous, with there being two dresses in a slightly different cut and color for each of his dress ideas. This was going to take some time to choose just one dress for tonight as there was now twice as many choices.
Setting the troubling decision aside, he picked up the black case and unzipped it. Nick's eyes widened a moment, then he grinned. The case contained several lip glosses and several shades of eyeshadow that he knew matched the dresses laid across the bed. The eyeshadows were a medium shade, which meant they'd give Judy's eyes a hint of color to compliment her natural beauty without detracting from it. Fru-Fru probably remembered him complaining about a few of the vixens on his fake dates who wore too much make-up, which covered up their natural beauty and reminded him of the hookers he'd seen on street corners with the heavy make-up they wore. Shaking the unpleasant memories aside, Nick picked up the lip glosses and found them in the same shades as the eyeshadow. Looking closer, he laughed seeing each one was blueberry flavored. "Oh, Fru-Fru, you know me too well." Putting the lip glosses back in their place within the case, Nick zipped it back up and set it on his dresser. He'd show it Judy when he brought her tonight's dress.
Walking into Judy's room, he found her hot-pink foxy shirt, then tapped on the bathroom door. "Judy, I'm going to leave this foxy shirt on the counter for you to wear when you get out. It'll be easier to change your bandages that way. And then I have something special for you to put on afterwards."
Judy's ears perked up at hearing Nick's voice. At first, she felt slight embarrassment at the thought of Nick coming in, but after remembering what happened in the bedroom just a short while ago (and what almost happened), she realized how stupid it was. And then remembering how badly she had wanted him to see her, all of her, she was once again torn between being a good bunny (and keeping her mouth shut) and a naughty one by asking Nick to join her. Biting her lower lip, she resisted the urge to invite him in (reminding herself that she was lucky Nick was still talking to her), and instead, said, "Um, okay, I can do that." Hearing the door open and Nick step in, she asked, "So what do you have planned for me this time?"
"Something I started planning early this afternoon."
"Is that why you were in a panic over the time?"
"Yes, someone important was dropping off something special at 5. It just came in and I think you'll like it."
"I can't wait." She couldn't wait to finish showering so she could see what he got her this time.
"Well, you're going to have to. We'll need to let your leg breath first, and I'll need to take a shower, too. But once I'm done, I'll give you the big reveal."
"Nick! That's just cruel and unusual punishment, stringing me along like this."
Nick just laughed as he stepped back into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. It took a colossal effort to walk back out that door instead of joining her. But he still had a date to finish getting ready and Willie would be coming by in less than an hour with dinner—and if he joined her, they'd probably still be in the shower when the helpful cougar arrived. As it was, he thought he had just enough time to put his piano and guitar song versions together before meeting Judy to unwrap and clean her wound.
Jumping down the stairs two at a time, he slipped back into the music/weight room and sat in the chair to finish getting the music ready for tonight's dance. He couldn't wait to see Judy's expression when she saw the dress and realized she had her first real date tonight. It almost made him giddy, as this was his first real date, too.
WingedKatt here. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next one, Nick will reveal the dress for tonight's date and then he and Judy will have another heart-to-heart talk.
Chapter 54: Too Good to Eat, will post on Saturday, March 28. I hope you have a great weekend and if you have any thoughts or comments, let me know.
PS. For those reading my other story, Z:ADB, ch3 will post next week.
